Northumberland Hills Hospital is welcoming medical students this week as part of the Rural Ontario Medical Program, an initiative designed to introduce future physicians to rural health care.
ROMP Week gives first-year medical students the opportunity to shadow local family doctors and gain hands-on experience across multiple hospital departments, while also highlighting the professional and lifestyle benefits of practicing medicine in smaller communities.
For the January 2026 session, four students from the Queen’s Lakeridge Health MD Family Medicine Program are taking part. They began their week on January 12 with a welcome reception at Northumberland Hills Hospital, organized by local family physician Dr. Fraser Cameron, who also serves as the Ontario Health Team of Northumberland’s Primary Care Network Physician Lead.
Throughout the week, the students are paired with local physicians acting as preceptors, allowing them to observe and participate in day-to-day clinical work. Dr. Cameron says colleagues across the community have volunteered their time to help provide a fulsome experience and showcase Northumberland’s hospitality.
NHH Chief of Staff Dr. Pavel Ketov says the program depends on the commitment of physicians and hospital staff who take time away from their own workloads to support medical education.
Hospital President and CEO Susan Walsh says NHH has been a longtime participant in ROMP and has seen its positive impact on physician recruitment. She notes that some former ROMP students have later returned to Northumberland during their training or professional careers.
In addition to clinical learning, students are also participating in social activities during the week to help build personal connections to the community.
Northumberland Hills Hospital serves west Northumberland County, providing a wide range of acute, outpatient, diagnostic and specialty services to the region.
(Written by: Joseph Goden)
